Program

Oct. 21: Live broadcast schedule

9:00 a.m.–9:10 a.m. CST

Welcome to Button!

Kristina Halvorson, Brain Traffic

9:10 a.m.–10:20 a.m. CST

Keynotes and conversations

How to win over designers and influence engineers

Chelsea Larsson, Zendesk

Design is obscenity

Madeline Grdina, Indiana University

10:20 a.m.–10:50 a.m. CST

30-minute break

10:50 a.m.–11:50 a.m. CST

Small-group sessions (Zoom rooms)

Meet new friends, grouped by industry and interest. (Sign up during the conference.)

11:50 a.m.–noon CST

10-minute break

Noon–1:00 p.m. CST

Panel: Button Book Club

Join host David Dylan Thomas as he leads a roundtable discussion with fellow authors and leaders in our community. Word nerds unite!

David Dylan Thomas

Design for Cognitive Bias

Scott Kubie

Writing for Designers

Torrey Podmajersky

Strategic Writing for UX

Andy Welfle

Writing Is Designing

Michael Metts

Writing Is Designing

1:00 p.m.–3:15 p.m. CST

Downtime and watch parties

Here’s some time to chill out, catch up, and check out the library of pre-recorded talks. Select speakers will host watch parties during these times—we’ll announce when and where!

3:15 p.m.–3:50 p.m. CST

Quarantimes: Self-care against all odds

2020! Why is it? Come hear fellow attendees share how they’re surviving These Unprecedented Times™, with coping mechanisms ranging from meditation to mini-trampolines. (Yep.)

3:50 p.m.–4:00 p.m. CST

10-minute break

4:00 p.m.–4:35 p.m. CST

Keynotes and conversations

UX for toddlers and other humans

Lindsey Thomas, Target

4:35 p.m.–5:10 p.m. CST

Fireside chat with Aarron Walter

Tune in as Kristina Halvorson interviews Aarron Walter (author, Designing for Emotion and VP of Content, InVision) about how we make human connections through design.

Aarron Walter, InVision

Kristina Halvorson, Brain Traffic

5:10 p.m.–5:15 p.m. CST

Day 1 wrap-up

Kristina Halvorson, Brain Traffic

5:15 p.m.–7:00 p.m. CST

Downtime and watch parties

Here’s some time to chill out, catch up, and check out the library of pre-recorded talks. Select speakers will host watch parties during these times—we’ll announce when and where!

7:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m. CST

International Tour of Libations

Join this unconventional happy hour as we toast the first day of the first-ever Button with beverages in every time zone.

Oct. 22: Live broadcast schedule

Times TBA

Watch parties around the world

With Button attendees in every time zone, we’ll be hosting watch parties on your clock!

9:00 a.m.–9:10 a.m. CST

Button Day 2 kickoff

Kristina Halvorson, Brain Traffic

9:10 a.m.–10:20 a.m. CST

Keynotes and conversations

Write better, faster, and with more authority

Angela Gorden, Work & Co

How UX writing is like standup comedy (and also how it’s not)

Vivek Sri, Zendesk

10:20 a.m.–10:50 a.m. CST

30-minute break

10:50 a.m.–11:50 a.m. CST

Small-group sessions (Zoom rooms)

Meet new friends, available by industry or interest. (Sign-ups happen during the conference.)

11:50 a.m.–noon CST

10-minute break

Noon–1:00 p.m. CST

Panel: Ethics, bias, and responsible design

Join Stephanie Lucas, Jane Ruffino, Candi Williams, and Crystal Yan as they tackle some of the deeper challenges of our work.

Stephanie Lucas, LinkedIn

Jane Ruffino, Character & Södertörn University

Candi Williams, Nationwide Building Society

Crystal Yan, Remitly

1:00 p.m.–3:15 p.m. CST

Downtime and watch parties

Here’s some time to chill out, catch up, and check out the library of pre-recorded talks. Select speakers will host watch parties during these times—we’ll announce when and where!

3:15 p.m.–3:50 p.m. CST

Quarantimes: Your stories, told by you

Gather round the digital campfire to hear fellow Button attendees share inspiring and maybe even hilarious stories from their work and lives..

3:50p.m.–4:00 p.m. CST

10-minute break

4:00 p.m.–4:35 p.m. CST

Keynotes and conversations

Gaining trust—and how to restore it when it breaks

Kevin Bui, Atlassian

4:35 p.m.–5:10 p.m. CST

Fireside chat

Join Kristina for a one-on-one conversation about communities of practice with Mario Ferrer (Senior UX Writer, Skyscanner).

Mario Ferrer, Skyscanner

Kristina Halvorson, Brain Traffic

5:10 p.m.–5:15 p.m. CST

Day 2 wrap-up

Kristina Halvorson, Brain Traffic

5:15 p.m.–7:00 p.m. CST

Downtime and watch parties

Here’s some time to chill out, catch up, and check out the library of pre-recorded talks. Select speakers will host watch parties during these times—we’ll announce when and where!

7:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m. CST

Button Trivia Extravaganza

Wind down for the day with all your new friends! Test your knowledge of important UX minutiae and low-stakes nonsense.

Oct. 23: Live broadcast schedule

Times TBA

Watch parties around the world

With Button attendees in every time zone, we’ll be hosting watch parties on your clock!

9:00 a.m.–9:10 a.m. CST

Button Day 3 kickoff

Kristina Halvorson, Brain Traffic

9:10 a.m.–10:20 a.m. CST

Keynotes and conversations

The “pipeline problem” is about belonging

John Paz, Atlassian

Collaborating with overthinkers

Meredith Arthur, Pinterest

10:20 a.m.–10:50 a.m. CST

30-minute break

10:50 a.m.–11:50 a.m. CST

Small-group sessions (Zoom rooms)

Meet new friends, available by industry or interest. (Sign-ups happen during the conference.)

11:50 a.m.–noon CST

10-minute break

Noon–1:00 p.m. CST

Panel: Design leadership in 2020

Join Marissa Phillips, Jacqui Frey, Tina O’Shea, and Andy Welfle as they discuss the unique challenges and opportunities of leading product content teams in 2020.

Marissa Phillips, Airbnb

Jacquelyn Frey, MailChimp

Tina O’Shea, QuickBooks

Andy Welfle, Adobe

1:00 p.m.–3:15 p.m. CST

Downtime and watch parties

Here’s some time to chill out, catch up, and check out the library of pre-recorded talks. Select speakers will host watch parties during these times—we’ll announce when and where!

3:15 p.m.–3:50 p.m. CST

Quarantimes: The Button Amateur Hour

Music! Laughter! Weird people tricks! Come enjoy the hidden gifts of your fellow Button attendees and speakers.

3:50p.m.–4:00 p.m. CST

10-minute break

4:00 p.m.–4:35 p.m. CST

Keynotes and conversations

To the pain! How to tackle intractable problems

Kaytee Nesmith, NPR

4:35 p.m.–5:10 p.m. CST

Fireside chat with Jess Sand

Join Kristina and Jess Sand (independent UX & Content Strategist) to explore how technology and content are helping to build non-extractive economies in which content-driven platforms contribute to community resilience and more equitable systems.